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enModric brilliant, Rakitic shines just as brightLuka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are ready to shape the fates of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and his Barcelona counterpart Luis Enrique.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/modric-brilliant-ancelotti-brink-rakitic-shines-just-bright
Luis Suarez's 56th-minute strike secured a 2-1 victory for Barcelona and their coach Luis Enrique, who has steered his side to a four-point advantage at La Liga's summit from their great rivals Real Madrid.
For Carlo Ancelotti in the Real dugout, rampant mid-season performances are now a distant memory as a baying Madrid press pack sharpen their pens and their knives.
The names that have dominated this fixture in the modern era continue to loom large. Luis Enrique will look to Lionel Messi to lead a potential sweep of silverware at the season's end, while Ancelotti will reckon that Cristiano Ronaldo - scorer of Real's equaliser at Camp Nou - can force a late turnaround.
But when the din of Spain's bitterest club argument subsides, the bosses should identify Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric as pivotal figures in their current, contrasting plights.
Highly skilled midfield performers on the ball, theCroatia international team-mates are the velvet-footed jacks of all trades, knitting together the sparkling tapestries of the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou.
Suarez would ultimately steal the weekend headlines but not before Modric showed his value by inspiring Real's best period of the contest.
Now in his third season with Madrid, Modric returned from a lengthy thigh injury absence this month to find the smoothly functioning team he helped to orchestrate earlier this term badly misfiring.
How they had missed the razor-sharp anticipation that disturbed Barca's hypnotic rhythm and turned the midfield battle in Real's favour.
Every pass from Modric has a purpose, none more so than the slide-rule effort that picked out Karim Benzema to tee-up Ronaldo's leveller.
Rakitic and Barcelona were the ones needing half-time, but the frailties in Ancelotti's Modric-light side that Atletico Madrid and Schalke exploited over recent weeks reappeared after the break.
The former Tottenham man was powerless to stop Barca tearing through their rivals at will after Suarez's goal, with only goalkeeper Iker Casillas preventing a rout.
Nevertheless, Modric had pointed the way back to the form that closed 2014 with 22 consecutive wins; after Ancelotti's men once again showed their problems, he offered a solution.
Rakitic's seamless introduction to life at Barcelona since moving from Sevilla last year has proved as remarkable as it has under-stated.
During the club's halcyon tiki-taka days under Pep Guardiola, Xavi was the on-field embodiment of the 21st century's most influential tactical philosophy.
The great schemer's advancing years restrict him to a squad role nowadays but what should have felt like a major void has at times gone unnoticed, with Rakitic's comfortable and intelligent two-footed style providing the perfect foil for Andres Iniesta.
Camp Nou rose to acclaim Xavi's cameo for a record-equalling 42nd Clasico appearance during the closing stages, a cause for celebration and not trepidation on Raktic's account.
The Croat was himself rested among the substitutes for both of Barcelona's 2015 Liga defeats to date, a now established risk Luis Enrique will be unlikely to take again having seized a healthy lead at the top of the table.
Inside the first minute on Sunday, Dani Alves extinguished Ronaldo's first foray down the left flank and Rakitic emerged, unflustered, with the ball to set the tone for Barca's early control.
His place in the pecking order of superstars was perhaps confirmed when Suarez got in the way to stop Rakitic from converting an Iniesta cross.
One imagines Luis Enrique would place few ahead of the player who has contributed so much to a relative air of serenity now awash in Catalonia.
And as the flames engulf Ancelotti at the Bernabeu, Modric offered the latest demonstration of why he should lead the firefight.
news_articleMon, 23 Mar 2015 00:01:43 +0000365308 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comClasico crunch time for Croatias finest as Rakitic and Modric prepare for battleWith the Balkan schemers set to offer up one of the more aesthetically pleasing head-to-heads of Sundays ruck,Michael Coxassesses their roles for Barca and Real this season...Michael Coxhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/clasico-crunch-time-croatias-finest-rakitic-and-modric-prepare-battle
In this age of technical, possession-based football, the concept of the playmaker has taken on added importance. The most valued midfielders aren’t box-to-box players or feisty tacklers, but players who can control the game and provide killer passers. Traditionally, few countries have produced as many talented playmakers as Croatia.
If the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were inspired by Pep Guardiola’s legacy as a midfield orchestrator, then the current brand of Croatian playmakers were inspired by Zvonimir Boban, the wonderful No.10 who starred for Dinamo Zagreb and Milan. A hugely intelligent footballer on and off the pitch –he’s now a highly-respected pundit in Italy –few have played the game with such elegance.
Two of his ‘pupils’, however, are starting to rival his legacy. Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are among the finest playmakers in Europe, and this weekend they’ll face one another in the Clasico for the first time proper –Rakitic was surprisingly only a substitute for the reverse fixture earlier this season, a 3-1 Real win, although the duo still swapped shirts afterwards. This weekend will be a perfect opportunity to compare two tremendously gifted compatriots.
From the same cloth
Modric and Rakitic are both highly-gifted and versatile playmakers, capable of playing either deep in midfield or at the top of a midfield triangle. Indeed, one of the tactical dilemmas for Croatia coach Niko Kovac at last summer’s World Cup was whether to deploy a third central midfielder behind or ahead of them, making either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. The third midfielder, Inter’s Mateo Kovacic, was yet another intelligent playmaker.
TALENTSPOTTERMeet the Croatian schemer who's on course to emulate Man City string-puller Silva
Pleasingly, for the sake of comparisons, both Modric and Rakitic are essentially playing the same role in their midfields this season. Real Madrid’s shape is something of a 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid at times, but when it’s clearly the latter, Modric plays a right-of-centre role in the trio. That’s where Rakitic has slotted in at Barca too, effectively in the Xavi role.
They are slightly different types of player. Modric is more of a natural organiser, someone who dictates the rhythm and flow of a game in tight, congested midfield areas. He’s capable of skipping past a challenge to give himself freedom, but that’s the most direct element of his game –he doesn’t usually play ambitious forward passes.
Instead, his distribution is sideways, albeit over long distances. At Tottenham he became accustomed to spreading the play with long passes along the ground to Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.
At Real Madrid, he’s again linking with Bale –although Cristano Ronaldo is something of an upgrade on Lennon. His distribution is extremely careful: in the win at Levante earlier this season, he only misplaced one pass in the whole game.
Ivan the engine
Rakitic can also dominate a game, although he naturally plays more ambitious passes –at Sevilla he regularly lofted balls over the top of defences to the forwards. For Barcelona he’s playing a different role, more restricted in terms of both his positioning and distribution. Compare his passes from the Manchester City match to those from one of his Sevilla games last year, and while there are more, they’re also much shorter. He’s adapted to the Barcelona way nicely.
Whereas previous Barcelona sides were based around clever integrated movement between midfield and attack, Rakitic and Iniesta tend to hold their position more, creating a structured triangle in the centre of the pitch. It means the positions of Rakitic’s passes are very wide, almost out near the touchlines.
That said, Rakitic did burst through the Manchester City defence for this week's winner in the Champions League, and is more capable of those goalscoring runs than Modric. The Real man has only managed 18 goals in nearly seven years of top-level league football, whereas Rakitic has managed 25 in his last three seasons(although, in fairness, he did take penalties at Sevilla).
The duo are broadly similar, however –hugely authoritative in possession, and intelligent enough to play a number of midfield roles and adapt to the tactical circumstances of a game. Since moving to big La Liga clubs they’ve also demonstrated a selflessness and willingness to take backseat roles, as attacking players dominate the side. Before, they were accustomed to starring roles at their previous clubs.
As always, there are hundreds of subplots ahead of Sunday night’s Clasico, but this could be one of the most intriguing parts of the game –which Croatian playmaker gets the upper hand.
PREVIEWBarcelona vs Real Madrid
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featureThu, 19 Mar 2015 14:54:10 +0000Joe Brewin363388 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic feeling better after ending droughtBarcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic said he felt better after a goal and an assist in his teams 3-1 win at Granada on Saturday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-feeling-better-after-ending-goal-drought
The Croatia international was on the scoresheet for the first time since December last year, netting the opener at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.
Rakitic also set up Luis Suarez's goal to make it 2-0, and said it was good to contribute in a big way to his side's victory.
"When you score and make an assist you feel better, but I have always felt good here," he was quoted as saying by Barcelona's website.
The win moved Barca back within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who host Villarreal on Sunday.
Rakitic, 26, said it was a key victory and believes his team were deserved winners – with Lionel Messi sealing the three points after Granada had pulled a goal back.
"It is important to keep getting points," he said.
"It was a very difficult match and Granada created a lot of problems for us, but we did a good job and I think we deserved the win.
"The pitch wasn't easy to play on but we managed to make our identity show and worked hard from start to finish. We have to keep improving but we’re on the right track."
news_articleSun, 01 Mar 2015 04:40:48 +0000352868 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEx-Sevilla boys helped Rakitic settle at BarcaIvan Rakitic claimed the well-worn path from Sevilla to Barcelona has made his transition to Camp Nou much easier.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/ex-sevilla-fraternity-helped-rakitic-settle-barca
The Croatian midfielder has played nine of Barcelona's 10 La Liga matches so far this season, starting seven times and scoring two goals in his first campaign in the Catalan capital, after three-and-a-half years with Sevilla.
Rakitic was one of seven players signed by Barcelona before the 2014-15 season and he is convinced having joined from another La Liga club has made it easier for him than for the likes of Thomas Vermaelen and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who have never played in Spain before.
The presence of Dani Alves and Adriano has also helped, according to Rakitic, as he has followed in the full-backs' footsteps in transferring from Sevilla to Barca.
Rakitic also spent time with another former Barcelona defender - Martin Caceres - in his first year at Sevilla.
"It is different when you come from a different country and that has helped me a lot," he said in an interview with Barca Fans.
"Especially because there were many people who did the transition from Sevilla to Barca and it was quite helpful."
The 26-year-old declared he has settled quickly at Camp Nou.
"I need to thank my team-mates because they have made me feel like part of the family from the very first day and I think that is what's important... the truth is everything is going very well," Rakitic said.
"I am sure there are still things I must learn because it is always different to get to know a club or a person...but I am glad. I am integrated and that is the most important thing."
Rakitic added he is thoroughly enjoying himself in Luis Enrique's squad, claiming the chance to work alongside modern midfield greats such as Xavi and Andres Iniesta is almost too good to be true.
"It is a joy and I thank God for letting me be part of the same team," he said.
"There are so many world champions, idols who play the same position like Xavi andIniesta, people you learn from, and that is a joy."
news_articleWed, 05 Nov 2014 03:39:28 +0000281546 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comReals pass-masters make El Clasico a whole new ball game, but forgotten man Xavi isnt done yetMichael Coxexplains why Saturdays big battle in La Liga could be the most evenly balanced yet thanks to Los Blancos ball-loving stars...Michael Coxhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/reals-pass-masters-make-el-clasico-whole-new-ball-game-forgotten-man-xavi-isnt-done-yet
Since Pep Guardiola took charge of Barcelona in 2008 and emphasised the importance of passing like never before, there’s been no question about possession dominance in the Clasico.
It was simple: Barcelona played intricate tiki-taka, swarming the centre of the pitch with multiple midfielders, while Real Madrid generally defended deep before counter-attacking. This weekend, the situation could be different.
The star individuals might be located in the final third, with Luis Suarez in line to make his Barcelona debut alongside Neymar and Leo Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo leading Real Madrid’s charge.
But the midfield zone might prove more interesting. Here, the two teams have rarely been so similar in terms of technical ability and passing quality.
Keeping it simple
Real have been using a midfield combination of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric for much of the campaign. Neither is anything like a natural holding midfielder – it could be argued, in fact, that both are natural No.10s.
But with Xabi Alonso gone and Sami Khedira no longer a first-team regular, they’ve been forced to sort out defensive responsibilities between them.
After a nervous first couple of outings together, Kroos and Modric have developed a good positional understanding, although it remains to be seen how they will cope against Messi.
Still, what that combination unquestionably provides is tremendous passing quality – and, for the first time in years, perhaps they rival Barcelona’s ability in that zone.
It was illustrated perfectly by Modric and Kroos’ masterful controlling performances against Liverpool in the 3-0 midweek victory. Kroos completed 88 of his 90 passes, with Modric 89 from 95.
More intriguing than the raw statistics, however, is the fact that barely any of these balls were played into the final third – this was simple, conservative and methodical ball retention.
It’s the type of thing Barcelona have been doing for years.
Real essentially played a fluid 4-4-2 against Liverpool, with James Rodriguez drifting inside from the right and Isco doing the same from the opposite side.
Rodriguez kept his play neat and tidy, and created the opener for Ronaldo with a clever flick, while Isco lost the ball more frequently. Nevertheless, the all-round midfield retention was quite remarkable at times.
Xavi's time to shine
Barcelona, meanwhile, are not quite as slick as in previous years – and they might be without Sergio Busquets this weekend. The holding midfielder has been struggling with injury and missed the midweek game against Ajax, although Luis Enrique is hopeful he’ll return for Saturday’s game.
Without him, Barcelona would play Javier Mascherano in that deep role. While famed for his ball-winning rather than his ball-playing, the Argentine has improved technically at Barcelona, and is capable of spreading play intelligently. Nevertheless, he lacks Busquets’ genuine creativity and incision on the ball, and can’t play such dangerous straight passes into the feet of Messi, for example.
An equally important change has involved Xavi Hernandez, who has started Barca’s last two league games, but hasn’t been a first-team regular this season. Instead, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic have been preferred – they’ve played stricter, more flatter midfield roles than in previous Barcelona sides.
Whereas Xavi used to drop deeper than Busquets sometimes, then advance ahead of Iniesta, now Iniesta and Rakitic hold their positions, and rarely attempt penetrative passes into the final third.
The incision is generally left to the front trio.
Xavi remains a brilliant passer, however, and it would be a shame to see him omitted from this weekend’s fixture. His performance against Eibar shows he still has the ability to command possession from positions on the edge of the opposition box, while his display against Rayo Vallecano showed his mobility, and suggests he creates morechances than Iniesta or Rakitic.
The team selections will say much about both teams’ intentions in the centre of midfield. Barca’s XI should be particularly intriguing – the Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta combination is accustomed to controlling this fixture, but if it’s Mascherano-Rakitic-Iniesta, Real might compete in the possession battle for the first time in years.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE ANALYSIS with Stats Zone
featureSat, 25 Oct 2014 11:00:00 +0000Joe Brewin273761 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic takes heart from Barca performanceBarcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic praised his team's performance despite a tense conclusion to the 3-1 UEFA Champions League win over Ajax.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-takes-heart-barca-performance
In-form forward duo Neymar and Lionel Messi handed Luis Enrique's team a 2-0 first-half lead and there seemed little doubt that they would comfortably bounce back from a 3-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the last round of Group F fixtures.
But Ajax stuck impressively to their task and substitute Anwar El Ghazi capitalised on growing anxiety in the Barcelona ranks to score in the 88th minute before Neymar's replacement Sandro secured victory with a fine counter-attacking goal.
"It was a good game because Ajax are a good team," Rakitic told Sky Sports.
"The work of the team was quite good so we have to do all the games like this.
"We hope that the next games will be the same."
Messi and the influential Andres Iniesta were also substituted before Ajax's late rally and it briefly appeared that Barca could pay the price for casting an eye towards Saturday's mouth-watering Clasico showdown with Real Madrid.
"These three players are unbelievable - they are so important for us," Rakitic said.
"It was a good game, also the last 20 minutes it was okay. It's normal that they can get a goal back.
"It was important that we got the third goal in the last minute. It was good work."
Edinson Cavani struck a late winner for Paris Saint-Germain at APOEL to deny Barcelona top spot in the group, although Rakitic insists he and his team-mates were unconcerned about events elsewhere, especially with the Ligue 1 champions facing a trip to Camp Nou in the final round-robin match.
"The most important thing is what we are doing," the Croatia international added. "We can't change what happens with Paris or the other teams.
"The most important thing today was three points, a good game and now we have to prepare the next game."
news_articleTue, 21 Oct 2014 21:50:49 +0000272661 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comHow Luis Enrique is unlocking Neymar’s true quality – but faces a Suarez-shaped problemLee Rodenassesses how the Brazilian is thriving in his second season and wonders where on earth Luis Suarez will fit in...Lee Rodenhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/how-luis-enrique-unlocking-neymars-true-quality-faces-suarez-shaped-problem
Tapping into the full potential of one of the world’s most expensive players may sound like a simple task, but ensuring Barcelona get the best out of Neymar is one of Luis Enrique’s big challenges this season. The No.11 had an inconsistent first year at the Camp Nou, with injuries, shifts in position and the high-profile fallout over how much he cost taking a toll on his form.
This season we are starting to see what Brazilians would call the ‘real’ Neymar, however. With three goals the forward currently leads the Blaugrana scoring charts alongside Lionel Messi, and on a broader scale he is exerting a bigger influence on his club’s overall displays. The key seems to be a greater degree of freedom for the 22-year-old, but could that also lead to problems in the long-term?
At times it felt like we saw two different Neymars at the Camp Nou last year. After arriving in the Catalan capital from Santos, the Brazilian made a point of hammering home the idea that he was at Barça as a member of the supporting cast for Messi, but that often led to more subdued performances from the young forward in comparison to those of his at international level.
As Messi continued to be Barca’s driving force up front, Neymar’s impact mostly came out wide if he was given the chance to isolate an opponent. Yet when Messi missed spells through injury, a substantially different Neymar was on show. On those occasions the forward came out of his shell, relishing the increased responsibility in Barça’s build-up play and the freedom to roam in the absence of the Argentine.
Enrique is searching for a combination of both Neymars. Following Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Levante, the Asturian stated that his forward needs to be happy not only attacking space but also receiving the ball to feet in more congested areas. That requires precise reading of the game in order to judge when to do one thing and when to do the other. Enrique’s vision is already starting to come to fruition, with a new, more complete Neymar on show, and Barcelona are reaping the rewards.
Defensive dilemmas
The increased unpredictability in Neymar’s game is causing opposition coaches a major headache as they struggle to come to terms with the change. Though nominally starting as a wide forward on the left, Neymar now spends almost as much time in the middle, making it difficult to guess where he will look to create danger. Against APOEL in the Champions League, Neymar frequently moved into central spaces when Messi drifted elsewhere, illustrated clearly by looking at where the Brazilian tended to receive passes from team-mates.
While Neymar received plenty of balls on the left flank as usual, he was also often handed possession in the middle of the pitch, sometimes as deep as the centre circle depending on where Messi was positioned in turn.
The Brazilian's performance against Levante at the weekend showed that wasn’t just a one-off, with a pattern starting to emerge. Once again, along with the usual passes received on the left, there were also plenty of instances where he collected the ball in central positions.
Comparing the areas where Neymar is influencing Barça’s play with those in which the forward on the opposite side tends to operate supports the notion that Enrque has specifically worked on this shift.
Pedro was Barcelona’s third forward against Levante, yet the Spaniard rarely got involved in the middle while Neymar was on the pitch. Pedro and Neymar may both have theoretically started in the same position on opposing flanks, but in reality they were performing two completely different roles. One was given the freedom to come inside or drop deep according to how he read the situation, while the other was asked to stick mostly to wide areas, at least until Neymar was withdrawn due to injury in the second half.
Neymar’s varied positioning creates an obvious challenge for opponents. Not only do the right full-back and right midfielders have to be wary of his threat, but now central players also need to be prepared.
What passing diagrams don’t illustrate, however, are the movements he makes off the ball that don’t result in receiving possession, something that was particularly intriguing when he was further forward.
Against both Levante and APOEL, when Messi dropped back to the midfield, Neymar quite often moved into the area between the two opposition central defenders. Though he didn’t always receive a pass, he was still an active threat to defenders while out of possession – attacking the space, just as Enrique stated.
In the past, centre-backs facing Barcelona already had the dilemma of deciding whether to track Messi’s movement into deeper areas or to let him go and risk allowing the one of the world’s best passers too much freedom. Now they also have to worry about Neymar, who can pop up in the space Messi vacates.
Confusion is an invaluable weapon in football, and Enrique is trying to provoke that through variety, asking Neymar to judge when to make this move into the area and when to move elsewhere.
Individualism on the flanks
At the same time as encouraging his participation, Enrique doesn’t want to lose the positives of Neymar’s first season at Barcelona, and the Brazilian is still at his most individualistic when he returns to the flank.
A look at his successful and attempted take-ons against both APOEL and Levante show that the vast majority came when he was out wide, and that makes perfect sense given that there not only tends to be more space there, but losing the ball is less of a problem than in the middle.
Neymar’s capacity to use skill and pace to eliminate an assailant out wide is particularly useful for Enrique in his quest to make Barcelona more ‘vertical’, and provides a useful counter-attacking option should the Asturian wish to use that approach.
The downsides
Three goals in four games show that giving Neymar more freedom to roam is fruitful, but there are also a couple of problems that could develop as a consequence. Against APOEL, Barcelona’s third forward Munir received possession infrequently, and cut an isolated figure on the right.
With Neymar and Messi moving so freely they are always likely to be found by team-mates more often than the third, more rigidly placed forward, but will Luis Suarez be equally happy to play as disciplined and unfulfilling a role? The Uruguayan is accustomed to directing build-up play from his time at Liverpool, but it is impossible for all three of Barcelona’s forwards to do that at the same time, lest anarchy rule.
Last year Johan Cruyff quipped that the good ship Barcelona can only have ‘one captain’ if it is going to avoid running aground. At the moment the Catalans instead have two working in tandem according to the position of the other. Three may be one too many.
Neymar’s changing role could also cause a defensive problem. With the Brazilian coming inside from the left so often and Jordi Alba hardly conservative in his positioning, Barça risk leaving a gaping hole for opponents to counter-attack down that side. Enrique is aware of the danger (after all, this is a manager so obsessed with positioning he constructed a metal tower to better observe Celta players’ movement in training), and his way of trying to counteract that seems to be to cut the ball out at the source.
NEWSSuarez to get Under-19 run-out for Barcelona
Barcelona’s current defensive success relies heavily on a hard-working, well-positioned midfield three who can win possession back before it is launched into danger areas. At the moment that’s working; the addition of Ivan Rakitic’s physical presence on top of Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets has helped to keep things tight, but against the best opponents that may not be enough. Barça’s left flank is a clear avenue of attack for rivals, and it will be intriguing to see how the likes of Real Madrid, PSG or Atletico Madrid try to exploit that.
When Barcelona bought Neymar they knew he would take a while to fully adapt to European football, but managers also have to play their part in helping players to make that transition. Unlike his predecessor Gerardo Martino, Enrique understands Barcelona’s system intimately thanks to years as both a player and B-team coach, and with him also favouring more of a hands-on approach in training, it isn’t a huge surprise that he has been the one who has managed to find a way to increase Neymar’s influence within the side’s 4-3-3.
There is, however, a huge challenge to be faced when it comes to fitting Suarez into an already free-flowing, Neymar-Messi dominated forward line. Enrique’s work is far from done, and if he can get Suarez to click just as well as Neymar while maintaining a successful defensive formula, Barça may well prove to be unstoppable.
featureTue, 23 Sep 2014 18:00:00 +0000Joe Brewin257728 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBarca monitoring Neymar and Rakitic fitnessBarcelona are monitoring the fitness of Neymar and Ivan Rakitic after both picked up knocks in Sundays 5-0 win at Levante.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/barca-monitoring-neymar-and-rakitic
The duo wereon target in a comfortable win for Luis Enrique's side, with Rakitic netting his first for the club with a thumping strike from outside the box.
Neymar was withdrawn shortly after half-timeand the club confirmed on Monday that both players will be monitored, with the league leaders set to visit Malaga on Wednesday.
"Neymar and Rakitic both did specific exercises on Monday morning after picking up minor injuries against Levante," a brief statement read.
"The former is having trouble with his left ankle and the Croatian international has bruising on his left foot.
"The club doctors will be keeping an eye on their progress, and will decide when they are ready to re-join normal training sessions."
Barca will be looking to make it five wins from five La Liga games on Wednesday.
news_articleMon, 22 Sep 2014 21:34:13 +0000257344 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic concentrating on Barcelona, not rivalsIvan Rakitic says Barcelona are not concerned by the form of their rivals and believes they are on the track to success under Luis Enrique.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-concentrating-barca-not-rivals
The Croatia international opened his Barcelona account in the 5-0 victory over 10-man Levante - who had defender Loukas Vyntra sent off after 41 minutes -a win thatmaintained their 100 per cent record in La Liga.
It took the Catalan club34 minutes to break the deadlock on Sunday but they emphatically secured victory, with Rakitic striking a stunning second just before the break.
Meanwhile, rivals Real and Atletico Madrid have both dropped points in the opening four games but RakiticinsistsBarca must remain focused on their own game rather than how other teams are playing.
"The results that the other teams get don't matter much to us," he told the club's official website. "We just have to work hard and we're right on track, although there is still a lot to do.
"We all knew that it is a difficult ground to come to but after the sending off and our goal, it was much easier.
"We could relax a bit and govern the game the way we like to. It was an important step forward but we'll need to keep fighting."
Rakitic moved to the Camp Nou from Sevilla during the close-season and has featured in all four league matches.
news_articleMon, 22 Sep 2014 09:57:46 +0000256992 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBarca are constantly improving, says RakiticIvan Rakitic believes Barcelona are making strides as a team following extensive changes in recent months.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/barca-are-constantly-improving-says-rakitic
Rakitic is one of seven new signings to have joined Barca during the transfer window and made a winning start to his career at Camp Nou as they cruised to a 3-0 La Liga win over Elche in Luis Enrique's first competitive game in charge.
The likes of Alexis Sanchez, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol all left in the close-season in an overhaul that was sparked by a 2013-14 season that saw the Catalan club go without winning a major trophy.
And Rakitic feels the changes Barca have made are already having a considerable impact.
"It is very important for people to realise that we're making progress," Rakitic said.
"There have been a lot of changes to the team in every area, but you can tell that we're constantly improving."
Rakitic will hope to help guide Barca to a second straight victory when they travel to Villarreal on Sunday, but is anticipating a strong challenge from Marcelino's men.
"It'll be difficult because Marcelino makes his teams work very hard," he added.
"But we just have to focus on ourselves. We're very positive about the trip."
news_articleThu, 28 Aug 2014 14:52:43 +0000240729 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBin the long balls, Busquets the linchpin: Luis Enriques big changes at BarcelonaThe new boss at Camp Nou has a few tricks up his sleeve to wrenchbackthe La Liga crown, says Spanish-based journalist Lee Roden...Lee Rodenhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/bin-long-balls-busquets-linchpin-luis-enriques-big-changes-barcelona
In one of his first press conferences as Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique laid down a clear outline of what he hopes to achieve in the coming months. The Asturian drilled home the need for Barça to become unpredictable once more, for the team to be versatile, and explicitly stated that minor changes in an effort to surprise opponents will be habitual.
It was music to the ears of the supporters, who had noticed Barcelona’s increasing rigidity under Tito Vilanova and Tata Martino in comparison to the days when Pep Guardiola made a weekly habit of springing traps on rivals with an adjustment to his side.
The Catalan press, who never turn down an opportunity to speculate when Barça are involved, proceeded to run their hypotheses on how the Blaugrana could change over the coming months. Enrique would use a double pivot with Busquets and Mascherano together, some writers insisted. No, he’ll play five at the back, cried others. Lionel Messi was set to be a No.10, right winger, or something else entirely depending on who you read.
With Barcelona’s pre-season over, we now have a fairly accurate image of the initial changes Luis Enrique has made to the structure of his team. While most of those alterations are subtle, they are likely to be a talking point in the coming months as rivals attempt to adapt.
1) No more long balls from the back
Gerardo Martino’s brief stint at Camp Nou was marked by a change in how the Catalans initiated play, or rather, how they struggled to initiate play. More than any other season in recent memory, Victor Valdes was asked to kick the ball long from his goal, and the strategy was largely ineffective as may be expected considering the modest stature of his targets. Leaks in the local press suggested the mechanisms of building from the back were no longer being worked on in training, and come matchday it showed.
Under Enrique that has changed. From the manager’s first game in charge against Recreativo it was already evident that Barcelona’s goalkeeper of choice will be asked to pass the ball on the ground. The two centre-backs split wide to receive possession once again, while the full-backs make sure to create a solid passing angle for them in turn. Whether it’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo or Jordi Masip between the sticks, the team’s last line of defence will also be its first line of attack, and that only works when the hard graft is put in on the training pitch each week.
2) Variety from the full-backs
At times over the last two seasons it seemed like Barcelona were playing a back two, with Jordi Alba and Dani Alves so far up the pitch that Gerard Pique, Marc Bartra and Javier Mascherano were expected to defend the entirety of their own half. A prime example was Gareth Bale’s dramatic winner in the Copa del Rey final, when Bartra was forced to step in to what is essentially the right full-back’s position, with Alves nowhere in sight.
Enrique has already shown that he will be far more savvy in his use of the two full-backs. Over the course of Barcelona’s five pre-season fixtures, the positioning of both wide defenders varied depending on the quality of opponents. Against Napoli, a strong counter-attacking side, both Martin Montoya and Jordi Alba were asked to play more withdrawn roles, while against Leon, Alba and Alves were both regularly involved in the attack, with one tending to push on while the other maintained a more restrained position.
3) Narrow forwards and a tight block
When it comes to his forward line, Enrique has shown that he doesn’t expect too much width – that will come from the full-backs – with the strikers kept relatively tight in an effort to encourage association and passing between them. The fruits of that tight line were on show in Barcelona’s 6-0 win over Leon, when Lionel Messi and Neymar linked up on several occasions in the build-up to goals, and youngsters Sandro and Munir combined similarlyfor further strikes in the second half.
The forwards aren’t the only ones playing close together on the pitch. At times in pre-season, Barcelona’s entire team minus the goalkeeper was in the opposition half, yet despite that they rarely looked vulnerable to counter-attacks.
That was all made possible by the solid structure from defence through to attack. When the ball was lost, midfielders were in a good position to win it back as quickly as possible –Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic excelled in that regard –while the centre-backs were never scared to step up and win the ball back in midfield themselves.
The lack of structure last year meant playing 10 men in the opposition half would have been suicidal, but Enrique has clearly put a lot of work in to make sure all of his players are in the right place at the right time going forward. An injection of pace and physical presence from the likes of Jeremy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitic hasn’t hurt either.
4) If in doubt, shoot
Barcelona have many strengths, but shooting from distance has never really been one of them. In Rakitic they have the answer, and the Croatian’s love of a shot from medium range has been on show throughout pre-season. With knowledge of the midfielder’s ability in this capacity, Enrique has clearly instructed him to shoot from the edge of the area if he sees an appropriate opening. This should prove to be a useful resource against the countless number of opponents that will look to sit deep and stifle Barcelona’s passing in the final third.
5) Sergio Busquets will be key
More than any other detail, the most notable change of Enrique’s is the varied role of the deepest midfielder. The entire structure of the new man's Blaugrana side tended to hinge on this player’s position. In five friendly encounters, the midfield pivot has adopted a number of different base positions, with changes even coming in the middle of a game.
In Barcelona’s first match against Recreativo, the deepest midfielder was very much fixed at the base of the midfield triangle, rarely looking to initiate play from deep with the centre-backs. In the second game, the exact opposite occurred, with Busquets dropping back until he was parallel with the two central defenders, forming an auxiliary back three and allowing Barcelona’s two full-backs to push on without the fear of conceding too much space behind them. It wasn’t the ‘five at the back’ some Catalan journalists had speculated about – the starting shape was still 4-3-3 – but there was some resemblance.
Something entirely different happened in the latter games of the summer, however. Against Leon and HJK Helsinki in particular, Busquets would often push far further up the pitch than is habitual for him, looking to win the ball back near the final third as well as spread passes out to the wings. The Catalan was free to do this because Rakitic would drop back slightly to cover the space behind him. It’s surely no coincidence that the more adventurous version of Barcelona’s No.5 was on show against weaker opponents.
It’s already clear that Busquets will be at the heart of Barcelona’s tailored approach to each game this season. With stubborn, smaller opponents he may be asked to get closer to the opposition area and use his passing to help overload them from the flanks. Against quick counter-attacking sides, he may effectively become a third central defender. His more traditional role certainly won’t be abandoned, meanwhile, and it’s likely that Enrique will ask him to change things in the middle of a game should Barcelona struggle to find their rhythm. With the midfielder inheriting the No.5 from Carles Puyol this summer, it’s fitting that he will be asked to lead the team in some capacity.
... and the rest
The alterations mentioned above are by no means an exhaustive list of the changes Luis Enrique wants to implement at Camp Nou. Most notably, the huge question of how Luis Suarez, Messi and Neymar will line up together is still two months away from being answered. Mascherano’s role when playing as a midfielder has yet to be specified, while Rafinha Alcantara’s own qualities can be used in a number of different positions.
What is clear from the summer is that Barcelona’s traditional 4-3-3 structure and their love of the ball won’t change. What Enrique wants is for his side to have a number of different tricks at its disposal, ready to pull them out in an effort to confuse opponents when necessary. Elche are the first side tasked with tackling this unpredictable Barcelona side in La Liga. Wish them luck.
featureFri, 22 Aug 2014 12:30:00 +0000Joe Brewin236469 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic keen to get to know new boy SuarezIvan Rakitic claimed he is looking forward to getting to know Luis Suarez, after his fellow new Barcelona signing made his debut.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-keen-get-know-suarez
After Suarez's training suspension was lifted last week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Uruguayan was free to play in friendlies and made his debut against Leon at the Camp Nou on Monday, coming on for the final 13 minutes versus the Liga MX club.
Suarez is banned from playing until late October after being found guilty of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
But Rakitic is still thrilled to have Suarez around the club from now on, which will help his new team-mates familiarise themselves with the former Liverpool striker.
"For us it is very important to have him in the locker room, working, getting to know him," said the Croatia midfielder, who joined Barcelona from Sevilla in the close-season.
"His quality we all know, there's not much to say there, he's going to give us a lot of great moments. So we just have to wait for the time to pass so we can have him on the pitch with us."
Rakitic's claim that Suarez will provide "great moments" for Barcelona echoed coach Luis Enrique's overall plan for the Catalan club this season.
Luis Enrique claimed he will be looking to provide a platform that allows the team's leading players - such as Lionel Messi and Neymar - to create and score in the final third.
"Well, it think it [the performance against Leon] was very good," the 44-year-old said.
"It's not very difficult when two players of such quality play together, like Messi and Neymar.
"In the second half, the connection Munir El Haddadi had with Rafinha, or with Sandro Ramirez, or after with Luis Suarez [was also good].
"Today we didn't have Pedro, who wasn't able to play because of a stomach problem but I have many solutions, many possibilities, players with different profiles, and we are looking to have those connection between players of great quality."
But Luis Enrique insisted Barcelona will continue to focus on a possession-based game.
"We are interested in having the possession for as long as we can," he said.
"There were moments today were control was lost, and that is not in our interest, we want to control the games, to dominate all aspects of the game."
news_articleTue, 19 Aug 2014 03:24:23 +0000234149 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic: Its not all about front three at BarcaIvan Rakitic insists Barcelonas 2014-15 campaign will not hinge solely on the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-not-all-about-front-three
Croatia playmaker Rakitic arrived at Camp Nou earlier this month, having helped Sevilla to Europa League glory in May.
The midfielder was soon joined at Barca by Suarez, who moved from Liverpool to link up with Messi and Neymar in what could prove a potentially devastating three-pronged attack.
Barcelona are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2013-14 season, in which they only lifted the Spanish Super Cup, but Rakitic believes they can ill-afford an over-reliance on their stellar forward triumvirate.
"Ithink that these three players are maybe the best in the world, so the other players, we have to be with them and from those three we can learn a lot," he said.
"We have to do our best but Ithink the team is not only these three players, so every player has to work in his position.
"We have to work together to be a strong team and a hard team and so we can start to work together."
Rakitic was speaking during Barca's visit to St George's Park, the centre built by the English Football Associationto aid the development of theirnational teams throughout all age groups.
And the 26-year-old was full of praise for the facility.
"It's unbelievable," he added. "It's a perfect place for us to work and we are really happy to be here so we hope that these five days we can work hard to be ready.
"English football has something unbelievable here and for me as a Croatian player, Iwould like to have something like this in Croatia, but it's not possible."
news_articleTue, 29 Jul 2014 15:17:09 +0000220914 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic happy with World Cup role for CroatiaCroatia playmaker Ivan Rakitic insists he was comfortable playing in a deeper role for his country at the FIFA World Cup.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-happy-world-cup-role
Niko Kovac's side were eliminated from Group A after rounding off the opening round of fixtures with a 3-1 defeat to Mexico - who went through in second behind Brazil.
Rakitic was deployed as a holding midfielderbehind the likes of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic throughout the tournament, after an impressive season in front of goal with Sevilla prior to the Brazil trip.
Despite heading to South America with 15 goals and 18 assists under his belt from a stunning campaign in Spain, Rakitic was happy to fit in with Kovac's plans and does not believe his position contributed to their downfall.
"The coach and I agreed to play in this way, there was no dispute," he told Jutarnji List.
"I find these stories pointless, just with the aim to make a mess.
"For me, this role is not slightly a mystery, nor was it foreign to me. I didn't have to change my game.
"Until the defeat with Mexico, everything was great. Our competitors, and many others, highlighted our midfield, they even said it was better than Brazil's.
"Yes, Luka and I can show even better, but I don't doubt that we will in the future."
Rakitic will face yet another new challenge next season, having agreed a move to Barcelona during the World Cup.
news_articleWed, 02 Jul 2014 08:14:53 +0000205011 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRakitic completes five-year Barca switchIvan Rakitic has signed a five-year deal with Barcelona after passing a medical with the Spanish giants on Tuesday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/rakitic-completes-barca-switch
Barca agreed a deal to sign the Croatia midfielder from La Liga rivals Sevilla last month and the 26-year-old has now completed the formalities for his switch to Camp Nou for an undisclosed fee.
The Catalan giants confirmed on their website thatRakitic had come through a medical at theirCiutat Esportiva training ground and put pen to paper on a contract until 2019.
Rakitic, who insisted on Monday that he had not been signed as a replacement for Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, will wear the number four shirt in a new era under Luis Enrique.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Rakitic spoke of his determination to succeed at Barca after winning the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla last season.
He said: "I'd like to say thank you to the club for the way they have treated me over all these days. Like all footballers it's important to feel comfortable, knowing that people are counting on you.
"I'm here to help to rewrite history, last year at Sevilla we did that. It opened the door to me, I've got a lot of hunger.
"From first day Zubi (sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta) approached me I said yes. It was an incredible sensation and it was very clear from the start it was something I wanted to do. I now want to work hard and improve."
news_articleTue, 01 Jul 2014 11:09:11 +0000204363 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com